Pit Bulls At The Dog Park (Part 2 of 4-Part Series)

It's Part 2 of my 4-part series on the Dog Park, and I can't wait to tell you what happened this week!  Are you ready?  Momma took my sister and me to the Dog Park and we had a great time.  Whew ... I wasn't sure when I was going to get to go back, but it finally happened.  I love our dog park and I think the people who worked so hard to build it must really love dogs ... a lot!!!  I just wish people would behave themselves at the dog park.  Yes, I said people.  I think following the rules at the dog park is a great way to say thank you for all the hard work that went into making the dog park a reality for all of us.   

Do you know why I decided to call this little series "Pit Bulls at the Dog Park"?  There are actually several reasons:  (1) I am a pit bull, and I love the dog park; (2) there are a lot of people who don't understand me and my breed, and I want to raise awareness of what's true about us; and (3) there have been some really bad situations at our dog park that reportedly involve pit bull type dogs poor judgment being used by individual dogs that are not properly socialized.

I have a theory about why so many people lately have been complaining about pit bulls in our dog park here in Warren County.  You know me -- when I have a theory (aka opinion) I'm probably going to share it with you.  Here are a few of my thinkings:

There are a lot of pit bull type/ pit-mixed breeds in our county -- a lot more than you think.  We have lived behind closed doors for a long time because there has not been an off-leash area where we can run and be free until just last year, and in many cases our owners don't routinely take us places because of the troubling comments and gestures that we experience when we are go out in public (it's embarrassing).  In some households, dogs (not just pitties) are not exercised or stimulated on a regular basis, and have never had interaction with other dogs on any level since they were adopted.  In many cases, this is a "perfect storm" in the making, and taking ANY unsocialized dog to the dog park with no advance preparation is a recipe for disaster, and it's not fair to a dog who thinks he's just doing what he's s'posed to be doing.    

How is a dog owner supposed to know how their dog is going to act around other dogs if they have never been around other dogs?  Is the dog park the place to first get this question answered?  Lordy, no!!!  What if your dog has herding tendencies with other dogs and you have never taken the time to discover/address/manage this issue before opening that gate to the dog park?  What if your dog (who has never been around other dogs) is big and burly and is irritated by a smaller dog running around his hind legs and jumping up trying to sniff his butt say hello? How is he going to react?  Are you a gambling person who wants to wait to find out the answer to that question after you are in the dog park with 25 other dogs?  What if your dog is a terrier -- boston terrier, pit bull terrier, westhighland white terrier -- and, like many terrier type dogs, has a strong chase drive?  If she has never been around another dog (other than a family dog she sees everyday and who is not a good test of a dog's tolerance for other dogs), what are you going to do when you open that gate to the dog park and your terrier with years of pent-up energy and no effective behavior management chases after a little Yorkie, picks him up and shakes him like a rag bone?  Is that your dog's fault, or is it the result of poor owner management?  


I wish that all the people who use the park knew how to use common sense when it comes to dog-dog meetings.  Momma says that most people are smart and have common sense, but the few that leave their brains at home when they bring their dogs to the park are the ones who cause us to have to leave before we are done playing.  

I have come up with a few true/false questions I want to share with you.  Do you know the answers?  I hope they can be conversation starters in your family this week and I will give you the answers to them next week.

1.  TRUE OR FALSE -- "Smart Socializing" involves setting your dog up for only positive dog-dog interactions.

2.  TRUE OR FALSE -- Dog parks are a dependable place to begin socializing your dog.

3.  TRUE OR FALSE -- My dog is really good with the other dogs in my home, and with my cousin's dog that lives close by.  Doesn't that mean he will be fine with all other dogs he meets?

4.  TRUE OR FALSE -- It's OK to wait until your dog experiences his first fight to know it's time to begin managing and training him about good doggie citizenship.

5.  TRUE OR FALSE -- A good way to socialize a dog is to let her walk up to other dogs she doesn't know while on her daily walk.

That's it for this week.  I can't wait to see how many humans pass this basic Good Owner Management Quiz.  Will you get 100%?   I know you will!!! 

Smart Socializing involves setting your dog up for success with only positive dog-dog interactions. - See more at: http://www.badrap.org/node/98#sthash.SVY1Z54l.dpuf

Smart Socializing involves setting your dog up for success with only positive dog-dog interactions. - See more at: http://www.badrap.org/node/98#sthash.SVY1Z54l.dpuf

Smart Socializing involves setting your dog up for success with only positive dog-dog interactions. - See more at: http://www.badrap.org/node/98#sthash.SVY1Z54l.dpuf